HOW WOULD YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE DIFFERENTLY IF YOU WEREN'T AFRAID OF OTHER PEOPLES OPINIONS?

The Wake Up Call...

I share my story to help people to understand that nothing in life is guaranteed, and that millions of lives are changed by the unexpected every day.

Some people are born knowing what it is that they want to do and they go after it, while others like me need a wake up call.

Since the age of 16 I knew that I wanted to run my own business. I pictured myself with a Louis Vuitton briefcase, a Chanel suit, and Christian Louboutin shoes. There was only one problem: I had no idea what the business would do and even less of an idea about how to start one.

So I copied what everyone else around me was doing and after university I went and got a job in financial marketing.

And for the next 10 years I steadily climbed the greasy pole, trying to ignore the empty feeling that followed me around.

I filled it with Prada and parties, and Mulberry and Moet, and when that didn't work I went shopping.

Does any of this resonate with you?

Do you find yourself trapped in a job that you hate, a business that is overwhelming you, or suffering from stagnated growth and diminishing turnover?

On Saturday 25 February 2012 at the age32I had a stroke.

It happened while I was on a business trip to the United States.

One minute I was planning a day of Starbucks and shopping with my friend (I’d flown in early for the weekend and so had she), and the next I was hooked up to drips, surrounded by medical technicians frantically trying to figure outwhat had happened to me.

In the moments when I thought I was going to die, I remember thinking that I hadn’t actually lived my life at all.

That I had spent 32 yearsexisting, fitting in, and procrastinating about starting things because I didn’t know how to do them.

Sound familiar?

Do you find yourself not valuing the time that you have?

Do you forget to enjoy the moment because you are too busy chasing tomorrow, your fortune, and your future success?

My wake-up call prompted me to face my procrastinations head on, to start the business I had always wanted to, and to write my first bookTime Management for Entrepreneurs,and to start teaching people what I have learned on my journey and know for sure.

I have been running my own businesses for over 10 years, and I would have described myself as an effective time manger. Reading Abigail's book allowed me to take a step back and asses the reality of my daily schedule, which over the years has become a juggling act due to the number of businesses that I now run. The book helped me to reevaluate essential and non-essential tasks, it also helped me to identify some time stealing activities that had crept in and overall it has enabled me to tighten up how I spend my working day so that I am now efficient as well as effective when it comes to time management! Reading this book was an excellent use of my time!

Simon Coulson, Kent

A great book for anyone who is struggling with time management and getting sucked into doing things they shouldn't. It takes you on a clear path from understanding where you are wasting your time and analysing what this means to your business. It then shows you clear actions to take so that you can save time and start to turn this time into a more profitable exercise.

I would recommend this book, its easy to read and full of great ideas to really help you master your time management.

Amanda C Watts, London

"I recommend Abigail's book Time Management for Entrepreneurs to anyone running, or looking to setup, a business. It has the concepts and ideas to help you identify where your time is going, and how to make more time to concentrate on growing your business.”